On Saturday Janet Wiseman and I had the opportunity to take a class at Cloth Fiber Workshop at the Cotton Mill Studios in the River Arts District of Asheville. Cloth, which is owned and operated by Guild member Barbara Zaretsky, hosts a variety of textile art workshops. We took Fabric Brooches taught by Margaret Couch Cogswell.

The class was appropriate for all skill levels. The participants included jewelers, quilters, nurses, teachers, and interior designers. The class appealed to me because I knew it would be a fun escape from my routine and a way to get the creative juices flowing. I can also see how it would be beneficial for artists who may want to try out a new technique or work with a community of peers. Everyone was supportive of one another. It was inspiring to see what everyone made - the limitless possibilities of collage.

We learned about the construction of the pin and different ways to layer fabric and incorporate stitches and embroidery to create wearable art. I loved that by the end of the day you had at least a couple of pieces you could wear right away without having to invest in a lot of materials and time. It's also something that you can have fun with on your own after just one day of instruction. Margaret was awesome - she gave each student individual attention, making sure they were making the most of their time there. She sent everyone a follow up email about the materials and directions covered. Barbara was also there - making sure everyone had what they needed and offering encouragement along the way. Since we were in the River District during our lunch break we had a picnic at River Park just down the road. A pleasant day indeed.

Margaret Couch Cogswell leading the class.

Everyone hard at work!

The next workshop coming up at Cloth is Hands On Shibori taught by Guild member Jen Swearington. Check out Cloth's website for all the details.

Of course, along with Cloth there are many other wonderful places throughout the area and the Appalachian mountains to study crafts. We'd love to hear about your favorite places to take classes - please share with us in the comments section.

Janet Wiseman and Nancy Darrell in their farmer costumes

Recently I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. with Nancy Darrell who had a sales booth and was scheduled to demonstrate wood block printmaking at the Claude Moore Memorial Farm. The site is a replica of a working farm circa 1771 and hosts three Fairs or "Market Days" a year as fundraisers. I thought it would be interesting to experience another side of craft shows since I have been on the organizing/directing side of events for the last 15 years at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands.

The Market Day was a fun, well organized event with volunteers, vendors and patrons enjoying themselves immensely, while a slew of children learned a bit of history in the process. I helped Nancy set up her booth and then we changed into our retro togs. The volunteers and vendors are required to attire themselves in the dress of that period which lends a nice feel of authenticity to the proceedings. I had hoped for a saloon girl outfit or maybe something along the lines of Daniel Boone...but was suited up in a Hester Prynne special like the rest of the poor farmers.

Some memorable snippets of the event for me were the sound of wandering madrigal singers, Madame Bella’s low-wire/acrobatic act, the smell of sizzling sausage and chicken over a fire pit, frosty Victory Stout in a handmade mug, and the beautiful healthy heirloom tomato plants I bought for my garden.


Nancy did a lot of demonstrating and talking to people about her work, and happily, she also sold some prints! I had a good experience and later thought, how wonderful it would be to have a farm and village space for the Guild’s traditional craft and music event Heritage Weekend. Also, it would be cool to have some authentic southern Appalachian food prepared at the event...or maybe some wandering mountain ballad singers during the times we don't have a band performing…some livestock here and there. It's good to get out and see what’s going on at other places and gather ideas to help keep our Guild events fresh and interesting.


*A SIDE TRIP TO ELLIE KIRBY'S FARM*





On the way to D.C. we made a side trip to the home of Ellie Kirby in Troutdale, VA. Ellie has been a Guild member since 1984 and creates art with wood blocks and watercolors. She has also published a number of children’s books that she writes and illustrates.





We had an enjoyable lunch in the kitchen of her farmhouse, which was built around 1910. For dessert, Ellie made an pie using fresh rhubarb from her garden and baked in a dish she bought from Nancy at a Guild Fair in the early 1990s. That was one tasty pie!

After lunch we toured her garden which features an old-fashioned yellow rose (I think it's called Harrison’s Yellow) that Ellie gave Nancy and I a start of. Hopefully, when I see the rose in my garden it will be a nice reminder of this trip in years to come. Ellie showed us her studio and we did a short interview. She was an engaging and gracious host and I really enjoyed our visit with her and her husband Roald.

*VISITING MUSEUMS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.*

Before we left the city we spent a day touring museums and gardens on the Mall. Our first stop was the Sackler Gallery in the Freer Museum of Asian Art to see "In the Realm of the Buddha" and the other exhibits. There was something interesting and beautiful to look at everywhere in this museum and I enjoyed it. It was raining so we spent less time looking at gardens and more time inside keeping dry.


Our next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art while there, I saw something I found very moving. In Transitions by South African artist Paul Emmanuel I saw a short film called Rites of Passage which chronicled young men who had been conscripted into the army getting their heads shaved. It was powerful!

We walked down the street to the Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art and Sculpture. This was probably my favorite museum experience of the day. We saw a painting there, "Haystack" by Arthur G. Dove that Nancy really liked.

We had lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian. I love the shape and flow of this building which I thought looked like a red mesa. The food here is interesting and tasty from a variety of American tribes.

Our last stop was the National Gallery of Art where we saw "The Sacred Made Real": Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700. There was a lot of powerful religious imagery here such as life-size representations of the cruxification. At this point, we were pretty tired and saturated from all the wonderful things we’d seen and it was time to catch the metro out of the city.

This trip was an enjoyable learning experience and I came back inspired in a variety of ways!

Southern Highland Craft Guild Annual Meeting 2010
Blue Ridge Assembly
Black Mountain, NC
April 17, 2010

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend this year's SHCG Annual Meeting. In addition to taking care of Guild business we enjoyed a wonderful weekend of seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and sharing ideas.
During the awards ceremony the following were recognized:

Honorary Membership
Tim Barnwell

Life Membership
Bill Alexander
Nancy Darrell
Bob Wagar

Lifetime Achievement
Robert S. Brunk
Arval Woody

Mary Dashiell was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees, and Sandra Rowland and Freida Terrell were re-elected to serve, joining current Board members: Lila Bellando, Teresa Brittan, Hugh Bailey, Tom Bauman, Rob Mangum, and Tommye Scanlin.

So many people and so many details helped to make the meeting successful. Here are a few details I will remember from the weekend: Nikki Josheff's daffodils brightening each locale, Chuck Hunner's signs leading the way, Tamela Well's handmade nametags to help us remember and get to know one another, the buzz of excitement during the tool swap, seeing good friends Sherry Masters and Andrew Glasgow during Friday evening's reception, hearing the punch line of one of Lee Davis' well told jokes between meetings on Saturday, hearing all about Jim Rittmann's Alabama adventures, working on the group art project hosted by Sandra Rowland, the merriment of a square dance called by Billy Edd Wheeler on Saturday night in the Bryson Gym at Warren Wilson College, and a delightful Sunday morning brunch hosted by the Herricks on top of the mountain (I've got to get that french toast recipe!).

If you have your own fun stories to share about Annual Meeting leave your comments here. Thanks, April Nance.

"The Guild sometimes seems to be an overloaded bus full of weary pilgrims and squawking chickens groaning up a steep incline. At other times it is an ark, a moveable feast, an improvised drama."
Robert S. Brunk, Guild Member since 1973

Quilt Block by Connie Brown depicting the tunnel at Craggy Pinnacle
on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I'm pleased to share with you a sneak preview of what is sure to be an amazing work of art created by the Asheville Quilt Guild in honor of the Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary. Several members of the Guild will be creating their own "square" which will be incorporated into a wall size quilt. All the images on the quilt will relate to the Parkway. Examples include flora and fauna of the area as well as some recognizable landmarks such as Mabry Mill, Linville Falls, and the Folk Art Center.

The quilt will be unveiled at the Southern Highland Craft Guild's Heritage Weekend in September and will be installed at the Folk Art Center for visitors to enjoy for years to come. Stay tuned for more updates on the quilt's construction and the many wonderful artists donating their time and talent to this fantastic project.

To learn more about the events going on throughout the year to celebrate the 75th Anniversary checkout the website: brp75.org.

Last Friday we had the pleasure of visiting with textile artist Bernie Rowell at her studio in Candler, NC. Bernie has been a member of the SHCG since 1975. She creates art quilts from painted canvas, building layers of highly textural collage. She will be demonstrating at the Folk Art Center during Fiber Weekend and exhibiting her work at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands in July and October.

This post is the first in a series called "Studio Conversations" which will give a brief artist profile of a SHCG member followed by a short video clip of them in their studio.

Last week we visited with Jude Stuecker in her studio in west Asheville. She is a fiber artist who has been a member of the Guild since 2004. She creates quilts, clothing and accessories. She will be demonstrating her craft at Fiber Weekend at the Folk Art Center on May 8 and selling her work at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands in July and October.

Jude and her daughter, Silvia, posing in front of Jude's quilt,
"Honeybee" at her studio in west Asheville.

Display of Keepsake Quilts

Connie Brown aids visitors in learning more about their own quilts.

Robin Brooks demonstrating how to make "string" quilts.

Saturday was a lively day at the Folk Art Center. Not only were the Carolina Mountain Woodturners meeting in the auditorium (which always draws a great crowd), the SHCG was also celebrating National Quilting Day.

Connie Brown and Robin Brooks, both members of the SHCG and the Asheville Quilt Guild were demonstrating in the lobby. Connie presented an exhibition of family keepsake quilts. She also stayed busy all day helping visitors learn more about their own quilts. Connie was able to help them identify patterns, time periods and other interesting bits of information.

Robin Brooks demonstrated quilting on a small scale by showing first hand how she makes string quilts.

Several people were interested in the techniques used when working with t-shirts. Connie provided a handout that explained the technique she used for working with t-shirt fabrics. For visitors that had further inquires about the process she would show them the materials she used and how to prepare and stabilize the t-shirts.

Many people had questions about vintage and antique quilts. Many brought in their quilts for Connie to give suggestions about use or care of the textile or for her to give them general information about the quilt. Crazy quilts were a common theme with 3 different people bringing in a crazy quilt, all very different but all having that special hand embroidery that was fashionable during the Victorian era.

This National Quilting Day was the perfect example of how quilts can be a common and connecting thread. On several occasions, as a visitor was getting information about a quilt, a second visitor would make a connection. "I think I know you" or "Don't I know you from somewhere" was heard over and over, and before you knew it these visitors were reminiscing about past events. One visitor was a "blast from the past" for Connie, in the fall of 1996 they both worked at Erwin High School. A very special visitor from Black Mountain, rushed in near closing time, she just wanted to share a quilt that she had made in the 1960's, a wonderful hand appliqued "Tree of Life." Come to find out she and Connie have a mutual friend. Of those that brought in quilts, almost every one of them made a connection to someone else. After all-it is a small world.

Speaking of "small world", people were amazed by Robin Brooks' miniature quilts. Over and over, you heard "the pieces are so small, I don't know how she does that." Robin used her antique sewing machine to demonstrate how she makes them. Visitors loved seeing a vintage sewing machine and loved the fact that Robin was actually sewing with it. Robin displayed several family keepsake quilts and was delighted to share their history with interested visitors.